3 Quick Fixes For Your Uninspiring Portraits - Video

[Martin Vronsky]

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You’re not alone. Every portrait photographer does this from time to time. You set up some safe, sensible lighting and you take perfectly OK portraits. It’s only after the photo session that you realize you played it far too safe and your photos are uninspiring.

It’s a scenario photographer Gavin Hoey knows from first-hand experience but he also has 3 ways to shake up your studio portraits by changing just 1 thing! 

For the first set-up, Gavin takes a classic 45-degree lighting position and moves his light to 90 degrees. He also gets his light much, much close to his model. The results are dramatic!

Next Gavin takes his white vinyl flooring and repurposes it as a fake wall. Switching from color to black and white mode on his camera he creates portraits with mood and character without moving his light.

Finally, Gavin takes a two-flash key and fill lighting set-up to the next level. Rummaging around in his prop box Gavin finds a couple of children’s tutus which his model wears as a neck ruff.
 
Timestamps and Chapters 

• 0:00 Intro 
• 1:14 Safe and sensible 45-degree lighting
• 2:05 Dramatic 90-degree and overhead lighting
• 3:52 Overhead lighting photo session
• 4:33 Using floor vinyl and a floor
• 5:14 Repurposing flooring as a wall
• 6:49 False wall photo session
• 7:38 Two-point lighting portraits
• 8:25 Adding simple styling to a portrait
• 9:20 Styled studio portrait session
• 9:57 Conclusions and Subscribe